Married
by beyondmythought-s
Summary: AU: Beth had never been more nervous to perform songs she had written herself until she realized Daryl wasn't in the crowd like he promised. Daryl had never been more scared of screwing up a relationship like he felt when he woke up in a hospital.


Authors Note:Once again huge shout out to jazznsmoke for being such an incredible BETA and letting me bounce ideas off of her. This one shot was completely inspired by a gif set I made on tumblr, so I hope you guys enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I don't own TWD or either of Emily Kinney's songs used in this story.

* * *

Beth was nervously packing a pair of beautiful black pumps into her bag. She could feel the butterflies filling her stomach as she imagined how this evening would go. Tonight she was performing at the local bar known for rising artists. Instead of her usual Tom Waits covers she would be performing her own music. If that hadn't been nerve wracking enough, Beth had also decided to dedicate a song to her boyfriend. It was their year anniversary and she had written a few songs especially for him to hear. She could do this; she could do this and finally tell him she loved him. She hadn't said anything before because she didn't want to scare him off and she wanted to be absolutely sure. Now, all Beth knew was that she was absolutely and irrevocably in love with Daryl Dixon.

* * *

Daryl pulled his leather jacket on over his flannel button up. While most people wouldn't consider his outfit fancy, Daryl knew Beth would appreciate the small effort he put into it. He brushed his hand across the newly tattooed flesh and hoped Beth liked her anniversary gifts. He hadn't ever been in love with anyone. Never in a million years would he have assumed that he could even land a girl like that, but he did and he wasn't about to let her go. He was always excited to see her shows, but after getting off the phone with her his adrenaline was racing. He could hear her nerves and excitement as she told him she had a surprise for him. He hopped onto his motorcycle and grabbed his helmet.

Before Beth, he never felt the need to wear a helmet. The rush of air was always exhilarating, but Beth always lectured him about how much safer it was to wear a helmet. Daryl figured it had to be love when he finally relented. No one else would ever be able to convince him to wear the stupid helmet.

Tonight was a perfect night for riding in his opinion. The weather was nice and traffic was fairly light. The sound of the engine helped him drown out thoughts about the item that currently weighed his pocket down. He wanted everything to go perfect tonight.

About a mile out from the venue was when everything went wrong.

* * *

Beth nervously scanned the audience for Daryl, but couldn't find him. She hoped that he was caught in evening traffic or was just running a little late.

Those thoughts ended up crashing around her halfway through her set when he still hadn't shown up. This wasn't like him to not show up. Maybe he left a voicemail or something. There had to be a good explanation for why he wasn't here.

Before she knew it she was at her final song of the evening, she had specifically reserved that spot for the newest song she had written about Daryl. It didn't feel right singing it without him here. Beth knew immediately which song she would sing, it was still about Daryl but not as special as her newest song.

"Guys, this is my last song of the night! Thanks for coming out, this last one is called Doctor," Beth smiled at the crowd even though she felt like crying.

Uh, uh, uh, uh, Huh, huh, huh, Uh, uh, uh, uh, Huh, huh, huh

Oh I wish I was a doctor who could heal your broken heart

Analyze each bruise and hear your story from the start

And stitch up every tiny tear

With a ribbon and a bow

Prescribe you some new medicine

That makes you feel less alone

No I am not a doctor

Just an ordinary girl

But I know the way your chest aches

The way your head swirls

When abandoned beat and broken down

By the one who knew you best

I was sleeping when he cut my veins

To feel a new only life west

No I am not a doctor

But I've got some extra time

I've got some drugs

I keep in the stock called vodka and red wine

We both know that you're not gonna sleep tonight

I am not a doctor

But maybe you could let me try

So I put my hand against your head

I recommend that you stay in bed

Your temperature is getting pretty high

Well I hope you're ready to put your drink on ice

No I'll never be a doctor

I hated science class

My parents liked to say how I picked up new skills pretty fast

Yet we both got kicked out but we have talents to discover

So let's buckle down get to work

Help you recover

So I put my hand against your head

I recommend that you stay in bed

Your temperature is getting pretty high

Help them get dressed

To put your drink on ice

I could be the doctor you could be the patient

Instead of operation

Built to any temptation

There were things she wouldn't do

Baby boy this night

It's all about you

Uh, uh, uh, uh, Huh, huh, huh, Uh, uh, uh, uh, Huh, huh, huh

Get better soon

Beth could hear the crowd cheering and feel the positive energy radiating off of them, but it did little to ease the pain she felt about Daryl not being there. Once she was off stage the first thing she did was check her phone. There were no new texts or missed calls and when she tried calling Daryl it went straight to voicemail. That was really odd. He wasn't into being on his phone at all times like some people she knew, but typically he would always answer or call back immediately if he saw she was calling.

* * *

Daryl woke to an annoying beeping sound. It took a few moments, but once his grogginess wore off he realized he was in a hospital bed and hooked to an IV. A nurse had walked in just in time to see him struggling to sit up in the bed. She chided him about not moving and worsening his injuries. He had trouble recalling what happened, even after the nurses showed him pictures of the wreck. He could only think about the fact he missed Beth's show and how worried she must be.

The nurse asked if he wanted the hospital to call anyone for him or if he wanted to make the call. He wanted to be the one to call, to be the one to actually apologize. Tonight was supposed to be perfect, but here he was in a hospital bed instead.

Once the phone was in his hands he dialed a number he long ago memorized. It rang for a few minutes and Daryl worried she might assume a telemarketer was calling since she wouldn't recognize the phone number. He didn't have to think too much longer on it because she answered. For a minute he didn't know what to say, but then he tried explaining that he was in the hospital and that he was sorry for missing her show. Before he could get further into his apologies, she asked what hospital he was in.

* * *

Beth had known something had to be wrong. The call that he was in the hospital had her heart momentarily in her throat. Daryl had such a tendency to downplay any kind of injury he had. But looking at him now, Beth had to focus on not crying. His face and body were littered with bruises and one of his eyes was covered with a metal eye patch. The doctors kept telling her he was lucky to have even survived the impact.

She wanted to cry and never let his hand go. She smiled for him once he was awake. It would do no good for her to cry. It would only feed the guilt that Daryl was probably drowning himself in.

She had to stop him before he even began his apologies in person. He shouldn't apologize for something so completely out of his control.

"If you look in my pants pocket, one of your gifts is in there" Daryl told her, he looked nervous. Beth was absolutely sure she would like whatever he had bought for her. She felt around the pocket until her hand reached a velvet box.

She was sure everyone in the entire hospital could hear her heart beating. She hoped she wasn't getting her hopes up. She pulled the little box out and opened it. It was easily one of the prettiest rings that she had ever laid her eyes on. She felt her eyes fill up with tears when she realized what this meant.

"Shit, I didn't mean to make you cry. I figured this was supposed to be special or something," Daryl grumbled. Clearly, he was taking the tears as a negative sign.

"This is perfect, actually it sort of goes with the song I wrote you" Beth was confident he'd love the song after getting the ring. She hadn't been confident before just because she didn't know if the song was moving too fast or would pressure him to act. Beth had to focus on tuning her guitar instead of the smile Daryl was sending her way. His smile was just one big distraction she couldn't afford right now. She needed to sing the song before she lost her nerve.

Nobody likes us, at this party.

No one likes us at this couch.

We can't stop eating the candy, we can't stop making out.

The girl in the corner knows about the first night we met.

She keeps asking 'why aren't you together yet?'

And I've got my hands in your heart.

You've got your hands in my hair.

I don't know these people, let them stare.

And I've got you wrapped around my finger.

You've got me wrapped up in your chest.

We keep whisperin' 'why aren't we together yet'.

Should we get married, tonight?

Once we've drank up the wine.

Would you marry me and always be mine?

It's such a nice night in Brooklyn.

And we shouldn't be alone.

Let's get married, baby, married and go home.

And the moon could be our witness, and north Fifth Street the isle.

And when we kiss the stars will cheer and cry and smile.

Our friends will feel left out, and our parents had no warning.

But we'll call them with the good news in the morning.

So let's get married, tonight.

Once we've drank up the wine.

Would you marry me and always be mine?

It's such a nice night in Brooklyn.

And we shouldn't be alone.

Let's get married, baby, married and go home.

I don't really wanna be at this party anymore.

Running outta jellybeans and there's no one left to call.

We don't wanna be at this party anymore.

Make up lies and say goodbyes and meet me at the door.

And let's get married, tonight.

Once we've drank up the wine.

Would you marry me and always be mine?

It's such a nice night in Brooklyn.

And we shouldn't be alone.

Let's get married, baby, married and go home.

Let's get married, tonight.

Once we've drank up the wine.

Would you marry me and always be mine?

It's such a nice night in Brooklyn.

And we shouldn't be alone.

Let's get married baby, married and go home.

Let's get married, baby, married and go home.

* * *

Daryl had felt like the luckiest man alive, even if a drunk driver had hit him from behind that evening. Beth had written him a song and essentially agreed to marry him. He watched as Beth packed up her guitar and looked over to see if he liked the song. It was almost ridiculous. He was sure she could have written a song about garbage being picked up and he would have enjoyed it. He had to stop himself from laughing when Beth bit her lip in concentration. He knew she was about to ask something, but was embarrassed by it.

"You said the ring was one of my gifts, does that mean there is more?" Beth asked quickly. Daryl could have laughed at it all. Maybe it was the pain medicine making everything funny, or maybe it was the way Beth seemed embarrassed about her question. He tugged the collar of his hospital gown to show the area immediately above his heart. Across his heart was Beth's autograph. Presumably the same one she gave the night they first met, when he promised to be her biggest fan.

Daryl knew she loved it the minute she saw it. The smile she gave him was radiant and pulled at his heart. In that moment Daryl knew he'd spend the rest of his life getting Beth to smile just like that.


End file.
